Good news for coffee lovers! For the nearly half of American adults who enjoy a cup of joe every morning, new research is revealing that drinking 1-2 cups of caffeinated coffee per day is linked to a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and from all causes.
With coffee, it can sometimes feel that research has been all over the place in terms of determining whether or not it’s actually good for you—and a lot of that is tied to the level of caffeine content. It is true that taking in too much caffeine can cause anxiety, headache or faster heart rate, and in some studies, drinking five or more cups of coffee a day has been linked with lower bone density, specifically among women.
But in this study, researchers assessed the impact of moderate consumption of coffee, 1-2 cups a day, and without excessive sugar or saturated fats added to the beverage. In the study, black coffee, and coffee with low levels of added sugar and saturated fat, were associated with a 14% lower risk of all-cause mortality as compared to no coffee consumption. The same link was not observed for coffee with high amounts of added sugar and saturated fat.
Other studies have investigated the effects of coffee drinking on the lowered risk of developing things like Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease—but this one is the first to look at the overall mortality rate of regular coffee drinkers.
The study included a nationally representative sample of 46,000 adults aged 20 years and older, looking at data collected from 1999 to 2018. Ultimately, the study suggested that results align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans which recommend limiting added sugar and saturated fat.
So tomorrow morning, don’t feel bad when you’re pouring your cup of morning goodness. It might actually be contributing to your healthy longevity—so long as you keep it light on the sugar and milk.
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